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JQBQMHRIGHT.

Mail' Bag,

No; 235,760.v Patented Dec. 21,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH B. GATHRIGHT, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, J. J. HARBISON, AND OWEN GATHRIGHI, JR., OF SAME PLAGE.

MAIL-BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,760, dated December 21, 1880.

Application filed November 26, 1880. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osIAH B. GATHRIGET, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail. Bags 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates particularly to the method of fastening the mail bag or bags now in common use by the United States Governinent; and it consists in the construction of the fastening and the bag to adapt them to each other, as will be fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents the bag and fastening ready to be hasped and locked; Fig. 2, the same all in position to be locked; and Fig. 3 is a modification of the construe tion of the fastening as seen in Figs. l and 2.

A represents the body of the bag; B, the front tiap, riveted fast to the front side of the inouth of the bag, and having the usual slots or openings to go over the staples a, a. a, and c, that are fast to the body of bag A.

C is the folding flap, made fast to the back of the body of bag A, and folds over the mouth of the bag, so that the slots or openings therein will also go over the staples a, a. a', and a.

D and D are cappingstraps made fast to the back of bag A, and fold around the edges thereof, completely covering the open ends of iaps B and C.

Preferably t-he staples a., a a', and c are made fast to the front lip of the bag, and in the relative position seen in Figs. l and 2, so as to project on the front side, to avoid turning the bag to apply the fastening; but they may also be made fast to any other portion of the bag, so that they will pass through the flaps only, or through the lips of the bag also." The lock-staple a." projects more than the others, and ranges crosswise to the direction of the others, so thatthe hasp of the fastener will go over it and receive the curved arm of the lock.

d is a metal tip riveted on end of cappingstrap D, and has a slot, d', near its outer end, to receive a turn-button on the hasp.

d is a metal tip secured on end of strap D', with slot fZ' to go over the lock-staple c.

E is a metal hasp pivoted to the front flap, B, by a rivet having a projecting turn-button with an elongated head, e, so that it will turn on the front flap and allow the slot or opening d on tip d to pass over the head of the button, and when the hasp is turned down, as seen in Fig. 2, the fastening-tip d will be lirmly secured by the elongated head of the turn-button. Hasp E has an elongated slot, e', through and near its outer end, which is to go over the lock-staple c.

F is a'plate secured at its edges to the face of hasp E, having opening fin its face, and so attached to the hasp that a space, f, is left to receive a label between the hasp-plate and plate F.

To secure the bag the aps B and O are rst folded in place; then the strap D, with its tip d, is forced under staples c c, and the slot d put over the turn-button e on hasp E,

the tip d is forced under staple a, and slot or opening d" pnt over locking-staple a, then the hasp E turned down from' the perpendicular to a horizontal position, and slot e' put over the locking-staple a, when it is ready for applying the lock, and when locked the bagis securely fastened.

The hasp E may be turned down in unf-astening, as seen in Fig. 3, and when so turned will fold down with the front flap out of the JOSIAH B. GA'IHRIGH'I.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. BRADER, JOHN J. HARRISON.

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